The Punjab Public Works Department (Building and Roads) has received a minimum bid of Rs 13 crore from a private company based in Panchkula to carry out work to make the remaining stretch of National Highway-21 between Mohali and Kharar four lane.

Ropar PWD (B&R) Central Works Division Executive Engineer Karnail Singh told Newsline that of the total five private companies, which had submitted technical bids for the project, two were rejected for various shortcomings.

He said the three approved firms were asked to submit the financial bids, of which the Panchkula firm’s bid was the lowest at Rs 13 crore, against Rs 10.13 crore that the PWD had estimated as the minimum cost of the project.

“We have recommended the lowest bidder to the Union Ministry for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, which will issue formal work orders soon,” said Singh.

He added that the work was expected to be completed within 13 months. “As the Punjab State Forest Development Corporation has already cleared the trees that were standing in the way of the highway-widening plan, work will begin soon after the Centre gives its nod,” said Singh.

NH-21 is one of the busiest highways connecting Chandigarh to major parts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir via Mohali and Kharar. The volume of traffic on the 4.14-kilometre stretch, which has earned the distinction of being a “killer” highway in view of the large number of road accidents occurring there, has increased manifold in the last couple of years. According to the plan, the width of the highway will be increased by 7.5 metres on both the sides.